Trash talking at Jazz game leads to pepper spray confrontation

It hasn't been easy being an L.A. Lakers fan so far this NBA season. But Salt Lake City police said one fan's apparent frustration crossed the line.

SALT LAKE CITY — It hasn't been easy being an L.A. Lakers fan so far this NBA season. But Salt Lake City police said one fan's apparent frustration crossed the line.

During Wednesday night's Utah Jazz game at EnergySolutions Arena against the Lakers, a man wearing a Lakers jersey got into an argument with another man, a Jazz fan. Initially, the Lakers fan and the Jazz fan were trash talking, according to Salt Lake City police. But their trash talking got heated.

That's when the Lakers fan challenged the Jazz fan to a fight, said officer Josh Ashdown. The Lakers fan was kicked out of the arena.

After the game, while standing on the corner of 100 South and 400 West, the Jazz fan and the Lakers fan ran into each other again. The Lakers fan was in the passenger seat of a vehicle.

Police said it appeared the man was waiting for the Jazz fan. A couple of witnesses, however, said the Jazz fan was the one who was being belligerent and taunting the Lakers fan.

Their disagreement culminated when the Lakers fan used pepper spray on the Jazz fan, Ashdown said, and sped away. The Jazz fan was treated and released at a local hospital.

The Lakers fan was described as a Hispanic male in his early 30s, about 5 feet 6 inches tall and 150 pounds, with medium length brown hair. He was last seen riding in a silver Dodge Caliber. Anyone with information can call police at 801-799-3000.

I am as big a Jazz fan as you will find. Fighting and trash talking with other
fans is stupid. Come on people. At elementary school you would be sent to the
principal's office. As an adult do you want a criminal record over a game?
Even
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Pat is a veteran police and courts reporter for the Deseret News and KSL and has covered some of the biggest stories in Utah for the past two decades. He is a graduate of Michigan State University with a BA in journalism.